Criminalization of homelessness: Grants Pass v. Johnson case in the U.S. Supreme Court

(Updated April 26, 2024) WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Grants Pass v. Johnson on Monday, April 22, 2024. Listen to a recording of the session. The case relates, in part, to the Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. The case highlights the issue of unaffordable housing and its consequences, including increased homelessness and encampments in residential areas.

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‘We Are All Climate Lawyers Now:’ How You Can Navigate the New and Inevitable World of Disaster Legal Services at Your Organization: MIE Journal article

(March 2024) “A Partnership to Break the Cycle of Veteran Homelessness” highlights the partnership, between Legal Aid of Southeastern PA and Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC). Together, LASP & VMC have stabilized housing and increased income for unhoused veterans in our community, creating a holistic, wraparound safety net of services.

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‘Meeting the Moment:’ HealthSpark conference addresses homelessness and affordable housing in Montgomery County

(Feb. 26, 2024) BRYN MAWR - Community leaders from Montgomery County and beyond gathered Feb. 12, 2024 at the HealthSpark Foundation conference, "Meeting the Moment: Taking Action on Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Montgomery County." Held at Bryn Mawr College’s Old Library, the event shed light on the current situation and possible solutions, highlighting partnerships.

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Marion Fraley
Federal court decision protects constitutional rights of Pottstown homeless encampment residents and prevents criminal charges & other penalties & threats

(Nov. 30, 2023) PHILADELPHIA – A federal court decision issued Nov. 28 protects the constitutional rights of Pottstown College Drive Encampment residents experiencing homelessness. The ruling granted a preliminary injunction, in part, for plaintiffs Better Days Ahead Outreach, Inc. et al. Judge Mia R. Perez, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, cited the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment as the basis of her decision.

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With adequate shelter options not available, Community Justice Project & Legal Aid of Southeastern PA seek to prevent Dec. 1 closure of Pottstown College Drive homeless encampment

(Nov. 10, 2023) POTTSTOWN - Community Justice Project (CJP) and Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (LASP) filed a lawsuit Nov. 1, 2023 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with the goal of preventing the Borough of Pottstown from sweeping a homeless encampment next to the Schuylkill River Trail along College Drive in Pottstown, unless adequate alternative shelter is made available to all of the College Drive encampment residents.

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